Free Republic

HOUSTON -- Former major league third baseman Chris Brown died Tuesday, nearly a month after he apparently was burned in a fire at his home outside Houston. Brown, 45, died at 1:15 a.m. CDT at Memorial Hermann Hospital. Authorities say their investigation is continuing into the circumstances surrounding the house fire and how Brown was burned.

In the three weeks since Steve Irwin, the Australian "Crocodile Hunter," died suddenly at age 44 from a rare stingray attack, FReepers have poured out their hearts to show their great love for Irwin's infectious enthusiasm and passion for his work; his devotion to his family, his country, his friends and the public at large; and his one-of-a-kind brand of wildlife education and entertainment. His widow, Terri, and his 8-year-old daughter, Bindi, will be on U.S. television Wednesday night in an interview with Barbara Walters on ABC. His 2-year-old son, Bob, is a little too young to make an appearance...

This is a reference thread with links to previous FR threads discussing the arrest of a suspect, John Mark Karr, in the decade-old cold case concerning the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, plus case resources for continued commentary on investigation of the crime.

For your bookmarking assistance, this is a reference list of links to the Aug 2006 or newer Free Republic threads on the topic of the JonBenet Ramsey murder case and the possible arrest of John Mark Karr as a suspect in her murder.

(WCCO) Bloomington, Minn. For the first time today, we heard from the Egyptian foreign exchange student arrested in Minneapolis. Eslam El-Dessouki is one of eleven young men authorities picked up after entering the country on student visas, but never showing up at school. In a Bloomington, Minn. immigration courtroom, a judge asked the student some very tough questions. Several times, the Egyptian student was asked, "Why didn't you go to Montana State as required by your student visa?" El-Dessouki said, "It was the first time out of my country, I just think to visit my uncle... I didn't know if...

08.13.2006, 11:31 PM The last two of the 11 Egyptian exchange students who failed to show up at their college program were apprehended Sunday in Richmond, Va., customs officials said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Mohamed Saleh Ahmed Maray, 20, and Mohamed Ibrahim Fouaad El Shenawy, 17, at an apartment building in Richmond on Sunday night. Virginia State Police and the Richmond Police helped locate the students.

This is a compilation reference thread with links to all stories and topics posted on FRee Republic since Wednesday night, 8/9/2006, through today, Saturday, 8/12/2006 concerning the failed bomb plot discovered and quashed by authorities in London, directed towards airline flights from the UK to the US.

~~~~ LUBBOCK, Texas -- A Texas family that had already paid a hefty price in the war on terror is in mourning again. Two years after a son was killed in Iraq, their only other son has died in Afghanistan. Cpl. Jose Velez was killed in 2004 when his unit came under fire in Fallujah. At that point, his brother, Army Spc. Andrew Velez, was given the option of not having to return to combat. But his father said he wanted to. This week the family learned Andrew was killed. Their father said that while he feels like his heart...

A 3-year-old child died from injuries she suffered after a TV fell on her at 134 Woolworth Wednesday at about 4:30 p.m., according to HPD.

Sugar Land police and volunteers with search and rescue organization Texas EquuSearch are looking for a 16-year-old Sugar Land girl missing since Friday night. Ashton Glover was last seen at 11 p.m. Friday at University and Commonwealth boulevards, “seen leaving with an unknown male in a white Toyota pickup truck,” according to information from Texas EquuSearch. EquuSearch spokeswoman Barbara Gibson said Glover’s family contacted the Dickinson-based non-profit group Friday night, and when they began a search, Sugar Land police already were on the scene looking for the missing girl. “The biggest thing is her truck hasn’t been found, either,” Gibson...

Olivia's beau 'spotted alive in Mexico' OLIVIA Newton-John's missing boyfriend Patrick McDermott is believed to be alive and living in Mexico. A Daily Telegraph investigation in Mexico has found three separate witnesses who have seen McDermott on Mexico's remote Baja Peninsula as recently as 10 days ago. McDermott is now suspected of faking his death on a fishing trip last year to escape mounting debts and possible jail time over thousands of dollars in unpaid child support. The sightings come as a grand jury prepares to investigate the disappearance of McDermott, who was Newton-John's boyfriend for nine years. .... (more)

Investigators report no human remains found in burned vehicle By ERIC HANSON and ROBERT CROWE Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle One of Houston Astros coach Jose Cruz's sons is considered missing after a pickup he had been driving was found on fire near an office building in Katy earlier this month. Jose Javier Cruz, 34, last talked to family members May 19 at his Houston home in the 10300 block of Huntington Place, said Katy police Capt. Gay Dickerson. "We are listing him as a missing person in danger because he is not answering his cell phone," Dickerson said Tuesday. ...

An Humble High School sophomore died this afternoon, eight days after being hospitalized for a rabies infection believed to have been caused by a bat. Zach Jones died about 4:55 p.m., according to Texas Children's Hospital, where he had been in an induced coma for several days.

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED CHILD ABDUCTION EMERGENCY...UPDATED TEXAS DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT RELAYED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 925 AM CST THU MAR 16 2006 THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE TEXAS DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. THE HIDALGO COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE IS SEARCHING FOR GLORIA GUEL. BORN: MAY 29, 1988. 5 FEET 3 INCHES TALL. 120 POUNDS. WHITE FEMALE. BROWN HAIR. BROWN EYES. LAST SEEN WEARING PINK SHIRT AND BLUE PANTS. SHE HAS A TATTOO ON RIGHT SHOULDER AND LOWER BACK. POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR HUGO GOMEZ. 5 FEET 4 INCHES TALL. 130...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Wildfires raged across parts of Oklahoma on Wednesday, forcing numerous evacuations, the closure of a highway and destroying at least two homes. The largest fires burned in Stephens County in southwestern Oklahoma, including a blaze that prompted authorities to evacuate two schools, a technical center and a distribution center. Duncan public information officer Sam Darst said the fire ignited the Empire school football field, but that was quickly doused. Darst said pupils from both schools were sent home. About 1,000 people from the Family Dollar Distribution Center and a technical center also were evacuated. Darst said several...

OKLAHOMA CITY — Michael Fortier, the prosecution's star witness in the Oklahoma City bombing trials, is scheduled to be released from federal prison Friday, victims' relatives said. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has notified family members of several bombing victims of Fortier's impending release, the relatives said Tuesday. He still must serve three years of supervised release. .....

Okla. Gov. Calls For Prayer During Fires OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry is urging residents to observe a statewide Day of Prayer today, Sunday, January 8, 2006. He issued the executive proclamation earlier this week because of wildfire outbreaks across the state. The governor said he's asking Oklahomans to join him in prayer for the victims, exhausted firefighters, and first responders. He also wants residents to pray for rain. Unseasonably high temperatures and high winds continue to trigger the wildfires. The conditions are expected to continue through January. Grass fires have killed two people in Oklahoma and have...

<p>Acquitted of murder two years ago but convicted on lesser charges related to the same crime, millionaire Robert Durst has again been arrested, this time because he violated his parole terms by leaving Harris County (TX) and appearing in Galveston County (TX) on 12-16-05 on the property of one of his criminal trial jurors.</p>